Little Match Girl

This is a story from a recent past. In a city, there lived a little beautiful girl.
It was New Year’s Eve, and the girl walked on the roadside with bundles of matches
in her hands. She had a few of them in the pocket of her apron tub. There was
snowfall. It covered her hair and the beautiful curled around her neck. She walked
from the morning, but couldn’t sell a single matchbox. She approached people
walking on the road. Nobody purchased a single match from her. Everybody enjoyed
the eve out there. Walking through the footpath, the girl saw many shops, full of
cakes and various foods. She saw many restaurants, people ate different foods with
candles on their tables. The girl, was very hungry. She had nothing since morning.
She ignored the sight and walked ahead. She shivered because it was night. The cold
was quite pursing. She couldn’t walk properly because she was barefoot. During the
day time, she was at home, sitting beside her ill Grandmother.
- Mary, would you, please, go out today to sell the matches? We
could get some food if you could sell few of them.
- No, mother. It’s too cold out there.
- Go you, silly girl! Go and sell all those matches by evening. And
don’t come home unless you sell them all.
- Ho, go dear, or else, he will hit you again. I feel so sorry to have
such a cruel son.
- Don’t cry Grandma. I’ll go.
Mary puts some matches in her apron, wore her mother’s slippers and left.
She tried her best approaching people to buy the matches then, but no one responded.
It was getting dark and Marry was very hungry, but she remembered her father’s
threat and she started walking again. at the corner of the road, she bumped into a
group of people.
- Oh, sorry!
- I’m fine. Would you like to purchase any match?
- Sorry, little angel. I don’t need any.
And they went on. Mary then felt that she is barefoot. She realized that one
of her slippers was broken. She searched for another one and found it in the gutter.
She couldn’t take it out from there. Mary decided to walk barefoot. Before moving
on, she checked if her matches were safe. She met many people, but failed to sell
any match. Tired, she found a corner between two houses and decided to sit there
for a while. The cold was getting bearer. The girl, with the matches in her hands
thought: “If I burn a matchstick, I can get some warmth.” Again a thought came in
her mind: “If father came to know about it, he would be very angry.” But the
shivering forced her to think: “How would he know if I burnt just one stick?” She
dared to take out a matchstick and burnt it on a wood nearby. And what a surprise!
The matchstick turned into an iron stove. The girl felt warm. She puts her hand near
the iron stove and tried to grasp the warmth. She was very happy, but soon, in a few
moments, a snowdrop fell on the matchstick and the flame went out. She was very
disappointed. In a while, she started shivering again. She thought for a moment and
took out the matchbox. she picked out another matchstick and burnt it against the
wall adjacent to her. Aaah! To her surprise, the wall turned transparent. She could
see through the wall now. The house was very beautiful and well decorated. There
was a fireplace and light as many candles were burning. the family living there was
having their food. She could see ample food and cakes kept on the dining table,
where the family members were chatting and discussing something sitting around
the table. Mary saw a roasted goose kept in a plate on the table all of a sudden started
staring at many she was surprised again. The very next moment, she saw the goose
coming towards her. She was very hungry and she felt happy to see the goose coming
to her. The goose came near the wall. Mary was about to insert her hand in the wall
and hold the goose, just then, the flame of the matchstick went off and everything
vanished at once. Now, there was no transparent wall anymore. Mary was very
disappointed. She looked at the sky, pleading God to help her.
- Oh, God! Please, take me out of this situation.
Just then, she saw a star falling down. A thought struck her mind: “They
say, when a star falls, someone dies. My Grandma is very sick. Does it mean that
I’ve lost my Grandma? Oh! She loved me the most.” She took out another
matchstick and burnt it. She was not surprised to see her Grandmother standing
in front.
- Oh, Grandma! You’re here?
- Yes, my child. I’m here for you.
Mary was pleased to see her Grandmother, but got scared the next. She
thought that her Grandmother would also disappear. She took out more sticks
from the matchbox and put them on the burning stick… And there was a light, a
light as bright as the Sunlight. In that hour of night, there was a bright light around
Mary and her Grandmother. Mary looked upon her Grandmother. She was
looking very beautiful, in her new white gown. Grandmother was looking at
Mary, smiling.
- Grandma, I am too scared to stay here anymore. Please, take me
with.
- Yes, dear. I’ll take you with me. Give me your hand.
The Grandmother held Mary’s hand and lifted her in her arms. They, both
started flying upwards. Marry was so pleased that she started clapping.
- How are you feeling now, my little angel?
- Now, Grandma, I don’t feel hungry or cold or scared anymore.
I’m feeling very light.
The Grandma smiled at her and they both flew to heaven. There was an
innocent smile on Mary’s face, as the sunrays lightened her face in the morning.
There were many people gathered around her. All of them were watching Mary,
lying down in the corner between the two houses. They all are felt pretty for her.